Monday, November 23, 2009

i first met sarah k. chen and her adorable daughter ellie at a picnic last july...baby ellie was just the cutest thing and i could not look at her without wanting to nibble on her chunky little arms! so when sarah asked me if i would design the florals for ellie's 1st birthday i HAD to jump on board!

linda ly was the mastermind behind the girly, anthropologie inspired day and i have to say, the details she and sarah crafted BLEW.ME.AWAY!!! the look was soft, delicate and whimsical, with a dreamy color palette of blush pinks, coral, yellow and gray, accented by seafoam greens...so let's get to the details!

i was obsessed with this custom made dessert backdrop, designed by linda to look like the cover of an anthropologie catalog...

melody from sweet and saucy came up with the most dainty, perfect cake ever!

a beverage station was set up with pink lemonade, gray + white striped straws and vintage bottles filled with coral charm peonies and pink ranunculas...i LOVE that floral sheet hanging in the background! another killer touch!

upon entry, guests were allowed to take a hand-made felt flower clip and wear it as a hair adornment or a boutonniere! ps. that vessel on the right was a vintage find...i loved the floral/bird pattern on it and knew i had to use it for this party!

some cute little party goers...of course wearing hand-crafted party hats, designed by linda and sarah!

i mostly stuck to clear glass and white milkglass for the vases but i was able to sneak in some of my seafoam green milkglass as well and it added a great pop of color! the girls accented those vases with some whimsical "e" for ellie badges...

gathered in the middle of each table was a series of white milkglass, all filled with coral charm peonies, gray dusty miller, pink + cream parrot tulips and yellow billy balls...the look was ruffly and lush! we accented the setup with a pink rose soapdish and a vintage toiletry bottle...

colorful pendants always set a festive mood!

there was even a bunny petting station for the little ones!

and can we PLEASE take a moment here?!?! this is hands down one of the most creative invites i have ever seen! each guest received a cardboard box filled with pink filler and another cardboard box tied with twine and holding the invite...each box was stamped with the ellie chen "anthropologie" logo...

and here it is! the invite was a hand bound mini booklet, made to look like an "anthro" catalog...and everything, down to the layout, the font type, where the font was placed...everything! all of it looked exactly like the real thing!

all the photos inside were of ellie, of course, and were taken by the hostess, sarah k chen...

and here is the hot mama herself with the birthday girl of the hour!!!

happy birthday miss ellie!!! can't wait to see where the road of life takes you!!!

special thanks to linda ly for crafting, creating and designing one of the cutest parties i have ever been a part of! to melody for ALWAYS coming through with the most amazing cakes and desserts...and to sarah k chen and her fab photog friends (ace, crystal and ming) for the awesome pictures!!!

Please, please, please tell me where you got the graphic for the dessert banner. That is exactly what I am looking to stencil above my daughter's bed with her name in the middle. Did you design it? If so, you are awesome.